


-- you'll never be alone.

by merumoth



Category: DARLING In The FRANXX (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Lowercase, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-24 19:23:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14960619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merumoth/pseuds/merumoth
Summary: [ episode 21 spoilers. ]what happened off-screen directly after delta and epsilon--?





	1. -- i'm always here for you.

_“Screw you!”_

alpha's mind is filled with nothing but rage.

he doesn't know anything, he can't process anything, nothing makes sense, and delta and epsilon were torn apart right in front of him.

the only thing he knows is that he hates it.

_v i l e !_

all of these creatures in front of him. they took two of his squad members and crushed them.

_d i s g u s t i n g !_

he had to watch as orange splattered all over his franxx. he knows nothing but fury.

_s i c k e n i n g !_

these creatures. these creatures!

they can't do that. they can't destroy his team. not right in front of his face.

_D I E !_

he'll kill them. all of them. he'll wipe them from existence.

_D I E !_

_D I E !_

_D I E !_

no survivors. no mercy. he'll crush them all. doesn't matter what they are. doesn't matter what the purpose is.

_he'll never forget this._

* * *

above him, his partner struggled to regain control-- to maintain the connection. she can feel the hatred filling him, building off her own emotion. the strength is something she's never experienced from him before-- she's feeling it seep into her mind, too. the mask's protection is becoming ineffective as the mental blockade crumbles from it. but it isn't helping her now. the control over her end of it is losing grip.

she's putting her everything into reconnecting-- all of her energy, all of her mental fortitude, everything--

_e v e r y t h i n g --_

and alpha can't be controlled.

just like that, the connection severs. the franxx shakes, quivers, and continues smashing, slicing, slashing, smiting. she watches him shiver continuously with anger. she watches it, just as the two of them watched delta and epsilon crushed effortlessly. it shifts and creaks as it transforms, gradually splitting the head open--

_but zeta won't allow this to happen to him._

she launches herself forward in the seat, reaching for alpha's torso, forcefully pulling his limbs out and yanking his body upright. closing her arms around his chest fully. holding him there, so tightly, no room left between his back and her chest. she can feel the violent shaking, the loud gasp of air filling his lungs from disconnecting so suddenly, his back slick with sweat.

whether or not alpha could handle stampede mode--

_she doesn't want to know, and wouldn't risk it._

zeta's own grip relaxes, but still holds him closely. where this emotion came from, she wouldn't know, and doesn't care at the moment. the heat of his body from the massive exertion was intensified by her own warmth, uncomfortably so. the fluttering in her stomach and a faint dizziness in her head confused her. she doesn't know what it is, why, or when it began. but--

the only thing that mattered--

_alpha._

closing her eyes and resting her head against the side of his, zeta's mind flows with all the mental images of his smile. preserved memories of all the victorious shouts, the internal sensation when he grinned with pride, and his commanding presence around others.

seeing him like this... terrifying, terrified, and full of raw emotion... it reminds her that he's not perfect, just like all of them. he tries his best to be, and succeeds often. but when he falters, she's by his side. calmly and reliably. backing him up. supporting. always.

zeta holds him, as he's stunned, hitching in breath, and incapable of reacting. the silence is filled with their breathing, and she listens as his slows down gradually. steadily, he relaxes.

it's alright, and at the very least, she knows that she will protect alpha. she's there. she always is.

_no matter what, zeta will be there._


	2. -- i'll still be by your side.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [ episode 22 spoilers. ]
> 
> maybe emotion isn't limited to humanity alone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've never gotten so much praise for my writing before! thank you, everyone!!  
> nor have i been very reliable with writing, but those really gave me hope that i could continue, so here's another part.
> 
> if i have more of this inspiration after the next episode too... i'm gonna take a serious crack at a third part. i have a few ideas already, but first i gotta see what happens in canon.

"... Zeta."

alpha's voice is light, softer than usual. he doesn't want to frighten her, she's already been frightened enough. from the last fight-- his loss of control, the complete breakdown he'd experienced at the loss of his two teammates... and he's certain that there's something in zeta that broke from papa's abandonment. just as much as it hurt him.

it's almost a given-- she's the one who yanked him out of the franxx, disconnecting them both. it's one of the scant few feelings that left him just a little peace of mind. with all the anger, the grief, the emotions he'd never even considered that he, too, would feel... it's nice that his partner has never wavered in dedication.

but here she is, in the same infirmary room. she has her face down in the bed, next to his side. although it's a surprise to see her, he knows that since the incident without papa... something has brought forth some kind of buried emotion within her.

she hasn't raised her head yet.

"Zeta," he repeats. "I'm here."

━

perhaps it's been wishful thinking up until now, but he's always thought that there might be something more to zeta. she follows him and obeys everything, leaving it easy to assume that she's no more than a tool. but...

since meeting plantation 13's squad, he denied all the spontaneous thoughts about their emotions. he's not like them, he told himself, he's _better_ than that. his resolve to follow papa until the end of his life was his goal. he was happy like that.

_... not anymore._

━

her hair's splayed out on the sheets, close enough for him to reach for one of the strands. alpha picks up the strand, rubbing it between his fingers. it's a bit softer than it looks, but he's pretty confident that's because the sheets of hospital bed are just as white as her hair is. the strands pull slowly out of his hand, as she's lifting her head at last. the sensation is so pleasant... 

once zeta glances to his face, he notes that it's not just her irises that look red -- it's in the puffy eyelids and the whites of her eyes. there's a bit of sheen collected at the corners, even... he's somewhat shocked, to the point where he's silent for just a moment. it's still a dramatic change from her usual. she blinks at him... lifeless stare became a lethargic one. he's never quite seen it for himself before, though he has been suspecting it has been in her, somewhere.

that lethargy isn't just in her stare, of course. alpha is certain he looks like a mess, just as he feels. even so, there's a kind of indescribable warmth that bubbles up from his stomach when his lips spread into a tiny smile. it's certainly not a physical feeling... but, regardless, it's undeniably a  _feeling._

━

as zeta had lifted him out, alpha had more attention on the sensations when her hands and arms supported him. even though, at the time, he'd been fairly healthy, he was far too shaken to consider anything that had happened-- so zeta's touch was his mental crutch.

the soothed calm was in the soft warmth of her hand through the gloves, the strength to tug him onto his feet, the friction when her other hand slid across his back to finish hoisting him up. it had been so pleasant, even though alpha certainly didn't spare a thought to the ramifications he would have had before.

━

she continues looking at him, the same way as ever-- this time, alpha recognizes confusion in her facial expression. it's oddly nice to know that his partner, too, is a little bit lost in these recent developments.

even more oddly, an urge tingles in his hand, nothing like the pain he's used to. with very little thought spared, he acts on the urge, simply letting it guide his hand where his gaze has landed.

"Your hand... ?"

━

alpha has been thinking a lot.

his whole squad had been dedicated only to papa, and then left behind as soon as they became irrelevant. useless now, and not worth keeping for any reason. the whole of his purpose felt broken.

_what will he do?_

delta and epsilon -- he'd felt the tears immediately form with the fury, and scatter everywhere while he screamed with rage. sliced through the klaxosaurs and the VIRM creatures both, unable to stop, not caring to stop. the team was down one member, and the lack of them haunted his mind.

_what can he do?_

the lack of maintenance has been the primary reason the six of them have deteriorating health, even in recovery. and yet, the rest of the remaining parasites and adults both kept trying to treat him with normal methods. no matter how much he told them the futility of the effort, they tried. and tried. and tried. nothing seemed to reach through their skulls.

_what is he to do?_

━

for a moment, once he'd asked for her hand, she stares to it, then back to his face... then again to his hand. at last, slowly, she lifts her hand, reaching for his, too. alpha takes this opportunity once hers touches his palm, lacing their fingers together. gentle and delicate, as far as her grip goes; as her fingers curl to meet the back of his hand, the pads of her fingers press against his skin. without the gloves, the warmth from her hand feels comforting.

zeta’s staring at their intertwined hands, but with a subtle mistiness and slight haze.

“Thank you,” alpha murmurs while she watches, genuine in a way he didn't know he could be, “for being here with me.”

just like that, her eyes flicker up to his face. even if it’s only a little, he’s glad to see a spark in her eyes. as he suspected all along, there’s emotion buried deeply in her...

... alpha notices another strange thought cropping up in his mind from that observation.

he... he wants to see her emotions fully.

_all of them._

━

alpha soon finds his answer.

code 015 brought food to his room, asking why he hasn't been eating since the day before. his response is the same as ever, even though she clearly hoped her words would move him. the falling of her facial expression doesn't surprise him at all, but he still admires her persistence. 015 has a lot more resolve than he does-- she wavers often, but consistently comes back to what she believes, stronger and stronger each time.

he's near-certain the strange squeezing of his stomach is--

 _j e a l o u s y ._  

it twists and it turns while she speaks. 015 is a slave to her emotions, and yet, strong convictions no matter how much those were shaken and tested. she's human, she's fallible, and even so-- she never gives up.

alpha feels a deep envy when she leaves, throwing the pillow off the bed within a minute. he doesn't know at all what he should be doing, doesn't want to feel so useless, doesn't want to recognize that he's just a worthless tool. there's nothing he can do, nothing to change anything--

**N O T H I N G .**

_**"Damn it!"** _

...

_nothing..._

the sheets aren't helpful to grasp until his knuckles ache. the tight grip hurts, so he lets go of it. the emotion is useless to him, because he's not like them. he's not human. emotions are still a hindrance. alpha himself is a hindrance, isn't he?

what's the point... ?

... he wallows for some time, laying back down and ignoring the strong desires from his stomach. beta shifts on his bed, and a soft grumble follows, clearly from gamma from the other side of the room. their grins of confidence that his mind supplied him... those were pointless in the long run, too. they're all abandoned. delta and epsilon are gone, too, but her laugh, and his gentle grins brought to mind just how alpha had failed them all.

... but--

a sudden burst of emotion, again. it spreads through him almost like his consciousness does while connecting to his franxx. it burns, just like the anger that left the pillow two feet from gamma's bed. this doesn't feel the same, though-- not jealousy, either. it's motivating, energizing, and a strong hunger for purpose.

papa may not be, but alpha's here. beta, gamma, eta, theta, they're here too. delta and epsilon won't be forgotten, just because they aren't. there's support around him, even if one is currently snoring, the other whispering something in his sleep... there's been support all along, hasn't there?

and, most importantly-- 

_zeta._

her support has never paused, came to see him, _she cares_. no loyalty will be cast aside, he decides, because he cares just as much. the precious time he spent with her, and with all of them, won't go to waste.

_"... let's fight."_

━

as the six of them head toward the bridge, alpha notices a sense of pride has returned to him. the footsteps echoing behind him restore his confidence. he pauses to turn back and smile at the group, who grin back-- just like always.

while eta glances up at beta, and theta tilts her head slightly -- they, too, have begun to feel -- alpha watches zeta's expression. her eyes reflect the resolve, and an enthusiasm within her that matches his own.

_true emotion._

it's her that alpha reaches for, taking her hand again. lifting it, spreading her fingers and closing his own onto hers, while his confidence spurns a deep fondness he now treasures.

"Zeta... thank you," he sighs, as she seems to recognize it. her eyes widen a bit more, but she nods as alpha grips her hand more firmly. "Thank you, for never leaving my side -- I won't leave yours."

alpha's newfound affection only fuels his conviction.

_"We'll be together until the end."_


End file.
